The pang of loss still hits me when I think about it too much. When Darren Aronofsky had to drop out of directing Hugh Jackman in The Wolverine, the opportunity to see what the wildly creative auteur could do with a big budget comic book flick. 20th Century Fox has been pretty relaxed in seeking out a replacement, given additional time due to Hugh Jackman's schedule and all the turmoil going on in Japan right now. The bulk of Christopher McQuarrie's script takes place in the Land of the Rising Sun, a factor which contributed to Aronofsky's departure. So far we've heard Duncan Jones(Source Code
) mentioned as a possible choice to direct, as well as David Slade(30 Days of Night
), but neither accepted. Now Variety reports that Fox has narrowed their list of candidates down to eight, a healthy mix of indie and mainsteam.The contenders are: Doug Liman(The Bourne Identity
); Jose Padilha(Elite Squad
); Antoine Fuqua(Training Day
); Mark Romanek(Never Let Me Go
); Justin Lin(Fast Five); Gavin O'Connor(Miracle
); James Mangold(Knight and Day
); and Gary Shore(???)Out of this bunch, Romanek probably is closest to Aronofsky's indie sensibilities, and I'd love to see what the guy who made the disturbing One Hour Photo
could do with a loner like Wolverine. But then part of me also wants to see a relatively fresh face take over. Padilha is a fast rising star who is already attached to the Robocop reboot, and could bring something new to the job. Gary Shore specializes in commercials, a popular launching pad of late. Fuqua, Liman, and Mangold are old hands and would be solid but likely wouldn't' add anything exciting. Lin is such a departure from Aronofsky that it just seems like a bad fit. I think I'm leaning towards Romanek here. What do you think? Who would you like to see take over The Wolverine?
